Although the National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF) has been in Winston-Salem for many years, this is the first year that I attended a play. I thought it would be excellent and I was not disappointed. What did I love about the NBTF? Well, it has everything to do with the actors/actresses. The professionals that attend/participate in the festival are theatre lovers. These are theatre lovers that may have landed a roll on TV or in the movies, but if you think about it, theatre is the foundation for all of the commercial hype. Ok, it's the difference between a person going to school for Broadcasting or Journalism vs. a person having an opportunity to have a radio show because they've excelled in a different aspect of their life. Let me make the distinction very clear. Celebrities who just happen to end up in the movies are different than actors from the theatre. Professional athletes would be most like theatre actors. These are people who enjoy the craft and do it whether they get paid or not. It's not about the money, it's about the art of acting.

I love the NBTF actors/actresses because they are down to earth real people. It's not at all about celebrity with them. It's about the art of their craft. Being with them would probably be like being with Obama, without the security, because he knows he's with his people.

It has taken me awhile to speak on the Trayvon Martin case because I've been gathering my thoughts. I'm amazed at how this case has become a partisan issue. If you believe that Martin was profiled and murdered then you're a softy Liberal. If you believe the opposite then you're a crazy Conservative. If you don't believe this has become a partisan issue, ask yourself why did FOX (partisan) News back Zimmerman from the beginning? What does political affiliation has to do with THIS case.

It's sad to say but racism exist and will continue for the forseable future. I've never seen so much racism as I have seen and heard since Barack Obama has been in office.

Take a minute to ponder on this. Many times I've posted about the hypocrisy in politics to which we can include this post. I've also posted about being perplexed that we only have two major political parties with almost 314 million citizens. You know that it's hard to get two people in a room who totally agree, so how can we divide 314 million citizens into two parties and both sides tend to tow the political line? We've been reduced to a series of talking points and sound bites. I think most people relate, in different degrees, to some of both parties. Before I get to the reason for this post, allow me to say that I'd probably not be posting if these bills were not being considered simultaneously. But they are, so I'm here!

First is HOUSE BILL 937 - State House lawmakers voted late Monday night to allow concealed weapons on college campuses, state property, greenways, bike trails, at sporting events and in businesses that serve alcohol. It also requires more rapid reporting of mental health adjudications to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, in accordance with federal mandates.

Second is House Bill HOUSE BILL 451 - The early voting period would be shortened to one week before Election Day, instead of the original two weeks. Same-day registration at polling places would also be eliminated. (In 2012, about 2.5 million N.C. residents voted early, and about 97,000 voters registered on Election Day). Absentee ballot restrictions are loosened.

Third is SENATE BILL 667 - Large fees levied on the parents of college students who register to vote anywhere in the state that isn't listed as their home address. Requires college students who change their registration to register their vehicle at the new address within 60 days and begin paying local property tax.

I find it ironic that at the same time legislators are relaxing gun laws, they're restricting the ability to vote. Well, they're ALMOST restricting the ability to vote. The absentee ballot process, which favors Republicans, is being relaxed.

Whether you're liberal or conservative or (insert party here), it would seem like you would want as many citizens, who could legally vote, to do so. If you're a proponent of restricting the vote (while relaxing the vote process in your favor), and taxing the parents of college students who vote out of district, then you're just doing some good ole-fashioned cheating! Did we really send the lawmakers to office to debate the process which got them there?

As the school year comes to an end, I'm thinking about how much of an impact the students have had on my life! I always have to keep in mind that children ARE children and they will do childish things. I'll won't miss waking up early for school but I'll miss seeing their smiling faces and the smiles they put on mine.

One of my students asked me today if I believed/supported gay marriage. My answer was simple. If you want to be in a relationship with a person of the same sex, then that's YOUR decision. I don't know if support is the correct description of how I feel but I respect your right to do what you want with the disclamer that you don't hurt other people. I do, however, believe that kids should be allowed to be in a healthy heterosexual household so they can hopefully flourish in their own relationships and grow their families efficiently.

Should "A Different World" make a comeback? Let's get to the root of the question! Should shows LIKE "A Different World" come back to television? The answer is undoubtedly, YES!

There's plenty of ratchet programming (or DE-programming) being consumed right now and I do not need to name shows. We NEED programs like The Cosby Show and A Different World to demonstrate to our youth the other side of what they become. If you're my age, you grew up with the Huxtables and went to college with Denise Huxtable. If you attended A&T, you remember being in your dorm room watching A Different World when Jesse Jackson was on the show sporting his A&T sweatshirt and the whole campus erupted with AGGIE PRIDE! For the youth, those shows inspired kids to WANT and EXPECT to go to college. They inspired us to want to get great jobs and be in loving relationships just like the Huxtables..

Some folks still can not understand why Obama has the unwavering support of most of the Black community. The short explanation has everything to do with the "inspiration factor". Our youth now KNOW that a Black person CAN be President. Obama inspires our youth today, just as the Huxtables and A Different World did 25 years ago. Supporting Obama is less about the PRESENT and more about the FUTURE!

Yes, positive programming like A Different World, SHOULD come back because the images that we're consuming now will, more than likely, have detrimental consequences in our future.